The weather has turned foul, suddenly.
Close to the freezing point, snow all morning…on September 8! Welcome to the
prairies of Canada. It was warm on Saturday, will be warm again by Saturday,
but in between, winter roars in for a spell. Let’s hope it’s just a spell,
not long stay.
However, it fits with my current
predicament. My joints ache, specifically my knees. The weather is part of it,
but they have been aching for some days after I finish my 5 km walk. This
situation prompted my lugubrious thought that ‘recovery’ is being challenged by
decrepitude! My experience underscored this thought after I rode my bicycle
yesterday, for the first time in two years, into a strong north wind.
Afterward, my back ached, and still does. Muscles that haven’t been used in a
long time tend to protest, as mine did and are still doing. Decrepit: “worn out
or ruined because of age or neglect….” Decrepitude…the ageing of an organism in
such a way that it refuses to function as it once did…or perhaps never did!
This experience has forced me to consider
the possibility that the day will come when my necessary activity, as regards
my heart health, may not be possible because of the state of my aging body. A
sobering thought, indeed. For the moment, however, it’s simply a matter of
endurance and pain management. And patience…a state of mind in short supply, so
far as I’m concerned.
Last evening, we watch a documentary movie
about Elaine Stritch, an 87- year- old actress who still does club dares,
singing all the songs from her lengthy career on Broadway. Watching her slowly
succumb to the memory loss, and stiff legs that I know so well was painful. The
bright spot was that she continues to perform, with all her limitations, as
best she can. Audience approval is just too important to her to stop until she is
unable to go on. She plans to retire, the on-screen words say in 2012, “in
2014…or 15.” Gutsy lady. A long-time AA member, she has decided that, at her
age, she will allow herself one drink a day. Come hell or high water!
I’m not quite so gutsy, but I do think of
that future as pretty dismal indeed. So I set my alarm and plan to walk in the
morning, even if there us snow on the ground. Period.
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